About 24,000 years ago our species, Homo sapiens were not alone in the world, our closest relatives the Neanderthals(Homo neanderthalensis) were still well and alive. The so-called 'hobbit' found in Indonesia might also have been a member of the genus Homo, and supposedly survived until as recently as 12,000 years ago.
So why did they die and we survive? Did infections, disease or radical shifts in their environments kill them off? Or did our species do away with them? Some evidence exists for both scenarios, but no conclusion is agreed upon
what do You think?

This is a theory that I've learnt in Biochemistry.

Our species was able to survive because we've developed this massive brain... this is believed to be caused by our ancestors eating a lot of fish.

And as you know fish contain a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids which is crucial to brain development in adolescents. So this Omega-3 is responsible for the bigger brain size in humans.

Bigger brain means that we're able to build tools more efficiently and communicate with one another more effectively.

Whereas the Neanderthals did not develop the same size of brain and were probably hunted down by wolves or tigers or possibly even modern humans might have killed them off.

origionally i posted quite the stupid reply and wasn't thinking things through, althouhg i wonder what made US eat fish? did they not too reap the benefits of omega 3's? perhaps they just developed genetically at a slower rate or were put off by fish for some reason.. but why? i mean why don't chimpanzee's or gorilla's eat fish? why did we

About 24,000 years ago our species, Homo sapiens were not alone in the world, our closest relatives the Neanderthals(Homo neanderthalensis) were still well and alive. The so-called 'hobbit' found in Indonesia might also have been a member of the genus Homo, and supposedly survived until as recently as 12,000 years ago.
So why did they die and we survive? Did infections, disease or radical shifts in their environments kill them off? Or did our species do away with them? Some evidence exists for both scenarios, but no conclusion is agreed upon
what do You think?

This is a theory that I've learnt in Biochemistry.

Our species was able to survive because we've developed this massive brain... this is believed to be caused by our ancestors eating a lot of fish.

And as you know fish contain a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids which is crucial to brain development in adolescents. So this Omega-3 is responsible for the bigger brain size in humans.

Bigger brain means that we're able to build tools more efficiently and communicate with one another more effectively.

Whereas the Neanderthals did not develop the same size of brain and were probably hunted down by wolves or tigers or possibly even modern humans might have killed them off.

That's well-explained chemistry.. But I think there's a much deeper explanation than this. Like how this Omega-3 fatty acids works for a human brain? My mom used to give me Fish Oil capsule and she said it's for the brain or some sort of memory enhancer? Is this what you are trying to say that this Omega-3 fatty acids give memory enhancement to the brain?

mau5undeadwrote:
origionally i posted quite the stupid reply and wasn't thinking things through, althouhg i wonder what made US eat fish? did they not too reap the benefits of omega 3's? perhaps they just developed genetically at a slower rate or were put off by fish for some reason.. but why? i mean why don't chimpanzee's or gorilla's eat fish? why did we

Back then, homo erectus likely learned to eat fish in the same manner as the 'hobbit' people of indonesia, or other peeps of the homo genus other around the world. By seeing other animals in nature eat it. Prehistoric man learned a few things they know by other animals in their environment. I read that sea faring and the first canoes/rafts probably orginated after they (prehistoric man/homo erectus/homosapien/neanderthals) witness animals that migrate and new how to swim, like elephants on the southeast asian region. The same probably applied to learning what to eat. Early people that lived near water probably saw bears and such hunting and eating fish. Chimpanzees and gorillas are land based mammals that reside in forests and this wasnt a preffered or practical meal for them. And this in turn would have kickstarted or nurtured increased brain functionality over time. Fish is, and always has been, mankinds most abundant nutritional natural resource, and most civilizations began near some body of water to begin with.

This is, after all, how even today children learn to do things. By watching others do it first.

origionally i posted quite the stupid reply and wasn't thinking things through, althouhg i wonder what made US eat fish? did they not too reap the benefits of omega 3's? perhaps they just developed genetically at a slower rate or were put off by fish for some reason.. but why? i mean why don't chimpanzee's or gorilla's eat fish? why did we

I don't know the exact answer to that question.

It's like asking why do plants synthesise their food (glucose) through photosynthesis and humans don't?
Organisms develop different techniques of acquiring nutrients through the environment they're living in. Food can be scarce in the past in environments where there are frequent drought/flood etc... that could be one of the reason.
Another reason is random mutation.

That's well-explained chemistry.. But I think there's a much deeper explanation than this. Like how this Omega-3 fatty acids works for a human brain? My mom used to give me Fish Oil capsule and she said it's for the brain or some sort of memory enhancer? Is this what you are trying to say that this Omega-3 fatty acids give memory enhancement to the brain?

Your mom is right.

Well Omega-3 one of the molecule responsible for the maturation of grey matter in your brain... obviously everybody needs grey matter in order to have high cognitive function.

Grey matter is the area in the brain that is responsible for memory, emotions, speech, muscle movement.

That's well-explained chemistry.. But I think there's a much deeper explanation than this. Like how this Omega-3 fatty acids works for a human brain? My mom used to give me Fish Oil capsule and she said it's for the brain or some sort of memory enhancer? Is this what you are trying to say that this Omega-3 fatty acids give memory enhancement to the brain?

Your mom is right.

Well Omega-3 one of the molecule responsible for the maturation of grey matter in your brain... obviously everybody needs grey matter in order to have high cognitive function.

Grey matter is the area in the brain that is responsible for memory, emotions, speech, muscle movement.

You can read more here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16949263

http://www.brainexplorer.org/brain_atlas/brainatlas_index.shtml

This is very informative and I've learned something today. Thanks to you